I'm Already There
by blondekunoichi
Summary: Set in Present Day Inspired by the song "I'm Already There" by Lonestar. Sasuke is a soldier, but he is also a man. He misses his wife and children. And he cannot wait to hold them again. A tribute to the soldiers over seas; hope they come home soon


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I was inspired to create this one-shot after watching a video on YouTube. It was fan made about Sasuke and Sakura with "I'm Already There" by Lonestar. It was so sweet and touching. That song makes me cry every time I hear it and with the pictures from the video I cried even more. This story takes place in a more modern time. Please enjoy…

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Packing the rest of his belongings, Sasuke Uchiha pulled the large backpack over one shoulder and exited his room. Passing his fellow soldiers in the hallway, he waved politely but his mind was somewhere else. It had been three years since he had been away from his family. Three years of nothing but fighting and killing and death. Is wife, Sakura, wrote twice a week. Her letters were uplifting and he looked forward to receiving them. She never missed in sending them. She sent him pictures of his children Tikomi and Seto. He recalled a picture of Tikomi clutching her teddy bear, Mr. Fuzzy, while she slept, thumb in her mouth, her black hair in two small pigtails.

Sasuke smiled. Reaching the front door, he made his way outside to one of the many small buildings. Milling his way through various soldiers and veterans he saw the line for the pay phone. He grimaced at the length but sympathized with his fellow soldiers; they all wanted to get back home and see there families. Since the beginning to the end of the war, Sasuke's thoughts had only been on one singular thing; coming home. Maneuvering himself through the crowds of people, he made his way over to a pickup desk. The elderly women behind the desk smiled up at him.

"How my I help you my boy?" she asked politely. "I'm here to pick up a cell phone," he said. The women's fingers set work on the keyboard of her computer. "Name?" she inquired. "Sasuke Uchiha," he answered. "ID Number?" she asked. "4322907," he responded. She nodded, pulling up his profile on the computer. "Yes here we are, please wait a moment I'll be right back."

She pushed back her seat and hurried out of the small room into another. Sasuke waited patiently. The elderly women reappeared a few minutes later with a cell phone in his hand. She handed it over the counter. Taking the phone, Sasuke smiled and thanked her before exiting the side door. The bright sunlight gave his black raven hair sheen to it. Turning the device on, he watched as the screen took color; a picture of Sakura sleeping with Seto and Tikomi in her arms. He smiled and remembered a part one of her letters…

_Tikomi sat on Seto today. He wasn't too happy with that. For a four year old our little girl has a lot of strength. She takes after you. She pushed him in the sandbox and tackled him. He was screaming, the poor thing. She stuck her tongue out at him and sat right on his back. It was so cute I wish I could've taken a picture. I had to scold her though after some sand got in his eyes. But he's fine; nothing hurt just his pride._

_They both miss you so much. Every night when I go to check on them when they sleep, Tikomi is always holding the teddy bear you bought for her and Seto wears one of your shirts; you know the dark blue one with the Uchiha crest on it? He still sucks his thumb at times. I'm trying to break him of the habit. I'm trying fruit pops._

_I have a hard time sleeping sometimes when I see the news and another soldier dies. I wonder if you're safe wherever you are or if you're hurt. I wonder and pray and hope when you'll finally come back. The bed feels empty without you beside me….._

He closed his eyes for a moment, picturing their faces in his mind before slowly dialing Sakura's cell. One ring….two rings….

"Hello?"

"Hi,"

"Hi…"

He can hear the emotion in her voice. He doesn't want her to cry.

"How are they?" he asks.

"They're doing fine. Are you…?"

"I'm fine. It's today you know," he tells her. He hears her smile.

"Yes I know. Wait hold on…_yes Tikomi it's Daddy…here Seto you hold the phone…_"

Sasuke nearly chokes on a sob when he hears the little voice of his son on the other end.

"Daddy?" an excited Seto asks. Sasuke smiles.

"Hey Little Man,"

"Daddy!!" he hears Tikomi yell. His smile grows. "Hi Sweetheart. How's my baby girl?"

"I miss you Daddy!"

"I miss you too Sweetie…so much,"

"Daddy are you coming home?"

"Yes Little Man, Daddy's coming home today." Both children squealed happily.

"We missed you so much Daddy! We missed you when you were gone" Tikomi says. Sasuke smiles softly.

"Gone? I never left you. I was always there, even if you couldn't see me. I was everything; I was your teddy bear, I was the wind in your hair, I was the Moon that watched over the both of you when you slept. I never left you." He heard Sakura's voice then.

"See you soon Daddy!!" both his children said at the same time. He smiled. Sakura's voice filled his ears.

"They've really missed you." He could hear the tightness in her voice from holding back her tears.

"I got every one of your letters." He told her. "I kept them all. I read them everyday whenever I could. I dreamed about you, holding you, touching you. God I've missed you Sakura."

She let out a quiet sob and he closed his eyes.

"There wasn't a day I didn't think about you. Always…you were always there. I saw you everywhere. There wasn't one thing I was doing without thinking of you, worrying about you…missing you. I missed kissing you and touching you and falling asleep in your arms." She was crying now, he knew. "I…I didn't want you to leave…" she murmured.

"I never did." He whispered. "I never left your side. I was always with you. Whenever you woke up, I was there. When you went to sleep I was always in your dreams. I never left. I was the Sunshine you saw in the morning, I was the whisper in the wind, I was your heartbeat. I never left you alone." He told her. Sakura cried.

"I love you," she told him. He looked to the sky.

"I love you Sakura. 'Never stopped. Even how far we are, I can feel you. I will always and forever love you."

The plane ride home was long and Sasuke dozed off for a few hours. His dreams were filled with Sakura and the kids. He'd be home soon. He'd see them soon. He was jerked awake by the plane landing. Immediately, his eyes opened. He looked out the window of the jet and let out a slow breath…he was home.

Climbing down the stairs of the plane, Sasuke scanned the large crowd below for the flash of pink hair that was Sakura. Descending down, he watched as soldiers found their families. Where were they?

He made his way through the crowd, scanning the tops of people's heads to check if any of them were her. Suddenly a pair of nimble, delicate hands covered his eyes. He smiled and his own hands covered the ones that cloaked his eyes. She pulled her hands back. In a flash a movement, she was in his arms and he was kissing her. The tears had already begun to flow from her eyes and she clung to him, in fear he wasn't real. His hands knotted in her hair and he crushed her to his body.

Pulling back to inhale, green and onyx eyes met in the noon Sun. Sakura's hands cupped his face, smoothing over his cheeks and brushing the long back hair out of his eyes. He touched her face, wiping away the stains her tears had left on her cheeks. She gave him a loving smile.

"Welcome back Sasuke…" she murmured. Before he could respond he was hit in the back of the legs, nearly knocking him over. Looking down, he saw the two black-haired heads of his children. Instantly, he scooped them up in his arms. Tikomi hugged him around the neck.

"Daddy!" she cried. He kissed her forehead. "Hi Baby Girl," he said, his voice thick with emotion. Seto grabbed at his shirt.

"Hi Daddy!" he said, throwing his small arms around his father's neck. Sasuke nuzzled his face into his son's hair, kissing the top of his head.

"Hey Lil Man," he murmured. His held his children close and a single tear escaped from his eyes. Holding Tikomi by one arm, he picked Seto up and placed him on his shoulders. The three year old boy laughed. Looking to his wife, Sasuke took her in one arm, kissing her once more. Tikomi squealed.

"I love you…" Sakura murmured when they parted. "I love you Sakura," he told her. As the family walked to the car, Sasuke finally felt at home. A sense of peace overcame him as he placed his children in the back seat. Inside the car, Sakura took his hand, giving it a small squeeze.

"Welcome home."


End file.
